Apparatus for washing and sorting coal and the like



F. BASCOUR APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND SORTING COAL AND THE LIKE Filed Jul 20, 1926 4menhw FLY-MW amma Patented Aug. 21 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I'IIRMAN BASCOUB, OI BRUSSEIS, BELGIUM, ASSIGNOR TO SOCIETE ANONYME CRIBLA,

OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.

APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND SORTIN'G GOAL AND THE LIKE.

Application filed July 20, 1926, Serial No. 128,742, and in Belgium July 28, 1925.

The present invention has reference to a washing apparatus for separating solid materials of different densities or volumes, and it has for its object to provide an apparatus particularly suitable for washing coal and separating it from shale and other stony waste.

With apparatus of this kind the chief difficulty consists in combining efiicacy with economy and so far good results have been obtained in practice only at the cost of great complication in the plants and of a huge consumption of motive power. This is the case with the types of apparatus now in use, whether the materials be carried by a stream of water along an inclined channel having a cross-slit through which a second stream of water is forced upwardly, or whether they be fed to the top of an inert column of water and subjected to one or more ascending currents which carry the lighterparticles to alevel corresponding to the top of the inert column while the heavier particles fall to the bottom. In the first type of apparatus it is necessary to effect in the channel a preliminary separation which requires a very delicate adjustment and in practice it isso imperfect that it is usually necessary to place several apparatus one be hind the other in a channel of great length. On the other hand the apparatus of the second type require pumps wit a huge delivery and consequently a considerable expenditure of motive power.

According to the present invention the inconveniences of the known apparatus are avoided by introducing the materials to be separated at the top of an inert column of water crossed at an intermediate point of its height by a transverse current at a regulable angle. The materials which may be introduced in the dry state, or together with a stream of water, are subjected to .a preliminary separation in theinert column of water as they fall therein and they are then caught by the transverse current which carries the light particles while the heavier drop into the lower portion of the column and are evacuated.

The transverse current, having only slight differences in level to overcome, does not reuire a large consumption of motive power. 11 the other hand the use of an inert column permits of avoiding long channels while ensuring a better preliminary separation. Finally the apparatus is compact and of small size and if it is desired to obtain a more perfect separation by combining it with other apparatus, these can be placed directly after the outlet nozzle for'the lighter material or after the outlet for the heavier material, with-, out 1nterposing long channels or extensive pipings.

In the accompanying. drawing which illustrates by way of example a form of realizatiorll of this invention adapted for washing coa Fig. 1 shows the washing apparatus in vertical section and Fig. 2 shows, also in section, the grouping of a plurality of apparatus simi: lar to that of Fig. 1.

The apparatus illustrated comprises a chamber for an inert column of water 1, the opposite walls 2, 3 of which are interrupted at a certain distance from its foot 4: in order to provide a passage for a transverse current 5 coming from a water pipe 6.

The lower portion 7 of the column 1 iswidened and communicates at the top with a conduit 8 through which is fed the water from the pipe 6 and with an outlet conduit 9 situated at substantially the same level as the conduit 8. I

Three valves 10, 11, 12 permit of regulating the transverse current 5. The valves 10, 12 serve to regulate the delivery of this current by throttling more or less the cross-section of the inlet and'outlet passages 8 and 9. The valve 11 forming an extension of the wall 3 permits of regulating the height at which the current 5 enters the column 1, and consequently the inclination of this current.

An overflow conduit 13 is branched on the conduit 9 and communicates therewith on both sides of the valve 12 in order to prevent the column 1 overflowing in the course of the adjusting process. In the apparatus illustrated the valve 11 slides in a blind column 14 which may be dispensed with if a packing is evacuated in any suitable manner, for instance into a closed tank 17 wh ence the materials are drawn up by a bucket chain 18.

The position of the valves 10 and 12 can usually be regulated once for all at the beginning of the operation, according to the delivery of water that-is thought necessary. As to the valve 11, it can be adjusted according to requirements, in order to vary the difference in level between the inlet edge 16 and the outlet edge 19 for the current 5, and thus to vary the duration of the action of this current on the materials dropping in the column 1. If these materials are of distinctly different densities the current 5 ma have only a slight inclination whereas if their densities are very similar the inclination of the transverse current will be increased by lowering the valve 11.

As shown in Fig. 2 a plurality of apparatus according to this invention may be grouped together. in a very compact manner in order to subject to further separation the materials discharged through the passage 9 and the bottom opening 4 when the pieces or particles have very similar densities.

In the example illustrated the materials issuing from the passage 9 and from the opening 4 of the first'apparatus are respectively delivered to the column 21, 31 of two similar apparatus where they meet fresh transverse currents 25, 35. The pure coal is discharged at 29, the shale at 34 and mixed products at 21 and 39. These products may be collected separately, or sent back to the column 1 of the first apparatus, or as shown in the drawing, sent to the column 41 of a fourth apparatus in which a current 45 effects a new separation, the coal and shale being respectively discharged at 49 and 44.

In this example the materials are fed to the first apparatus by a current of water 20 and the products discharged at 34 and 44 are collected in open troughs 30, 40. Other modifications may obviously be made in the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 and in the manner of grouping such apparatus without departing rom the scope of the invention.

I claim:

L'In apparatus for washing and separating materials of difierent densities, the combination of a chamber limiting an upright column of liquid having a narrow upper portion and a wider lower portion, an inlet for said materials at the top of said upper portion, an outlet at the bottom of said lower portion, means for feeding a transverse current of liquid across the foot of said upper portion comprising a side inlet at the top of said lower portion and a side outlet facing said side inlet, and an adjustable plate projecting downwardly into said lower portion and situated between said side inlet and side outlet.

2. In apparatus for washing and separating materials of different densities, the combination of upright walls forming a chamher having a narrow upper portion and a wider lower portion, an inlet for said materials at the top of said upper portion, one of said walls extending from the top of said upper portion to substantially the top of said lower portion, a vertically adjustable plate forming a downward extension of the last mentioned wall, an inlet on one side of said plate, an outlet on the opposite side of said plate and an outlet at the bottom of said chamber.

3. In apparatus for washing and separating materials of different densities, the combination of a chamber open at the top, said chamber limiting a vertical column of liquid having an upper portion narrower than its lower portion, means including a side inlet and a side outlet for sending a transverse current of liquid across the foot of said upper portion, means interposed between said side inlet and side outlet for varying the inclination of said transverse current, a valve for varying the delivery through said side outlet, an overflow conduit by-passing said valve, and an outlet at the bottom of said chamber.

4. In apparatus for washing and separating materials of different densities, the combination of a vertical receptacle open at the top, an outlet at the bottom of said receptacle, a vertically adjustable plate in said receptacle, an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit opening into said receptacle on opposite sides of said plate, valves respectively in said inlet conduit and in said outlet conduit, and an overflow conduit by-passing the valve in said outlet conduit.

FIRMIN BASCOUR. 

